Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Exercise normal precautionsExercise normal security precautions
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Sao Tome city and main island
Exercise normal precautionsVery safe for African standards; petty theft exists but violent crime is rare. The island is small and easily navigable. Police presence is visible.
Avoid: None major; standard precautions at night.
Common scams: Minor taxi overcharging; otherwise minimal scams.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Principe Island
Exercise normal precautionsExtremely safe; very small population, minimal crime. Isolation is the main challenge, not safety.
Avoid: None; the entire island is accessible.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
3 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, UK FCDO. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Policia Nacional
police
UK FCDO gives both numbers for police. The number 112 is the fire line here rather than a general emergency number, so it is worth keeping the three straight.
SourceAmbulance
ambulance
The ambulance number published by UK FCDO, which is the same number it gives as an alternative for police. On islands this small that is not surprising, but it does mean you should say clearly what you need.
SourceHospital care on Sao Tome and Principe
hospital
No hospital number is given here because none could be verified from a page that could be read directly. The UK Foreign Office maintains no medical facilities list for Sao Tome and Principe, and its travel advice names no hospital, saying only that medical facilities on the islands are limited and that many conditions require evacuation to Europe, South Africa, Ghana or Gabon. The practical consequence is that travel insurance covering medical evacuation matters more here than any local number, and the ambulance line above, 222 22 22, is what the Foreign Office does publish.
Source